11-year-old right-winger Simon Jennison was scouted at our Manchester trial back in May by League One side Accrington Stanley.

Talking to Simon’s mother Laura, she gave us a bit of information on Simon’s footballing background, telling us: “Simon has been scouted previously by clubs when he was a little bit younger, Manchester United when he was around eight, and Everton too.”

Expanding on this, she said: “He trained with Man United for a full season. He was initially given around six weeks of training so the club could get an idea of what he was going to be like… So he was there for quite a while, but unfortunately it didn’t go any further. I think a lot of the group he was with were dropped by the club.” She added.

Laura also explained their decision to bring Simon along to our event, telling us: “At the time, Simon wasn’t really bothered by being released from United. I think it all went over his head a bit. But now he’s obviously a bit older and a lot more serious about it. I think he felt that he played a lot better this season and has just grown up a bit, so because of this, we looked more into the options available to him.”

After attending our event, and impressing, Laura talked us through the process with Accrington, explaining: “I received an email from yourselves saying Simon had been picked up by a club. Someone from Accrington contacted us, and told Simon that they would like him to attend training on a Tuesday and Thursday for the next six weeks.”

“The training goes through a bit of everything. Each session is an hour and a half and they usually start with skills training, fitness drills, and things like that; then play matches. So yeah, they cover pretty much everything.” She said.

When asked how she thinks Simon is adapting to his new experience with Accrington Stanley, Laura told us: “I would say Simon was on par with the rest of the players; he didn’t look like he was struggling keeping up with them. I think all of the players he trains with are in Accrington’s academy. They are a good group of lads and they’ve been really welcoming. He enjoys the new environment, it makes him want to push himself, and obviously everyone trains a bit differently so it’s a great experience.”

Everyone at UK Football Trials would like to wish Simon the best of luck with Accrington, and hope he can continue to impress, grow as a player and sign for their academy in the future.

(Since the initial interview, Accrington Stanley have informed Simon’s parents how impressed they have been with his performance and have opted to keep him training for a prolonged period.)